Image recording apparatus comprising liquid supplying device having tank and cartridge

Abstract

According to one aspect, the disclosure provides an image recording apparatus including a liquid supplying device. The liquid supplying device includes a tank, a cartridge, an atmospheric communication portion, and a recording portion. The tank has a second storage chamber configured to store liquid, a liquid passage in communication with the second storage chamber, and a gas passage in communication with the second storage chamber. The atmospheric communication portion includes a buffer tank defining a buffer chamber configured to store gas, a single communication flow passage allowing the buffer chamber to communicate with the second storage chamber, and an air communication passage allowing the buffer chamber to communicate with an atmosphere. When the cartridge is attached to the tank, the buffer chamber is positioned below the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber is positioned below the buffer chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An image recording apparatus, comprising:
 a sheet feed tray; 
 a recording head configured to eject ink toward a sheet fed from the sheet feed tray; 
 a plurality of tubes connected to the recording head; and 
 a carriage configured to move the recording head between a home position and a remote position in a moving direction of the recording head, 
 wherein the image recording apparatus further comprises, at a front part of the image recording apparatus: 
 a plurality of cartridges each having a first storage chamber; 
 a single tank unit having a plurality of second storage chambers and a plurality of buffer chambers, the plurality of cartridges being attachable to and detachable from the single tank unit, each of the plurality of tubes being connected to the single tank unit to supply ink from a corresponding one of the plurality of second storage chambers of the single tank unit to the recording head; 
 a plurality of liquid flow passages configured such that ink in each of the first storage chambers of the plurality of cartridges is supplied to a corresponding one of the plurality of second storage chambers through a corresponding one of the plurality of liquid flow passages; and 
 a plurality of gas flow passages configured such that gas is supplied to each of the first storage chambers of the plurality of cartridges through both a corresponding one of the plurality of buffer chambers and a corresponding one of the plurality of gas flow passages, 
 wherein the single tank unit further has a first partition wall sectioning one of the plurality of second storage chambers and another of the plurality of second storage chambers, and 
 wherein the single tank unit further has a second partition wall sectioning one of the plurality of buffer chambers and another of the plurality of buffer chambers. 
 
     
     
       2. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plurality of second storage chambers is arranged in a horizontal direction. 
 
     
     
       3. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plurality of buffer chambers is arranged in a horizontal direction. 
 
     
     
       4. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the plurality of buffer chambers is arranged in the horizontal direction. 
 
     
     
       5. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a lower portion of each of the plurality of cartridges overlaps a corresponding one of the plurality of buffer chambers as viewed in a first horizontal direction. 
 
     
     
       6. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the plurality of second storage chambers is arranged in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. 
 
     
     
       7. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the plurality of buffer chambers is arranged in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. 
 
     
     
       8. The image recording apparatus according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the plurality of buffer chambers is arranged in the second horizontal direction.